Staging made simple

I was viewing a large number of homes yesterday. All of the properties were still 'for sale' and not 'pending' or 'sold'. There was a real trend in these properties that had not sold yet- the lack of preparation and buzz word of 'staging'. I think the actual work of 'staging' is an art. Knowing exactly the best fit for furniture and chosing the best colors is a skill left for designers. My focus today is simply being prepared for the buyer every single day your on the market for sale. This is not easy and another reason why pricing it to sell in the 30 or 60 days is so important (and not just so a salesperson can make a commission). If I were to give feedback to each of the homes I saw yesterday here is what would be said; "clean windows, freshen up the smell, remove weeds in the driveway/walkway, clean up the flower beds, freshen up the paint in/out, remove extra furniture, reduce photos of all your kids/family/wedding day (and just have that one favorite of each), clean up the dead bugs, throw trash away in each trashcan, get a new shower curtain and make it one that is very simple, deep clean your oven (and know buyers will look into your frig), hang your garden hose on a designated rack near the faucet, power wash the old deck, find a place other than the house for your barking dog (realize your quiet dog will freak potential buyers out), take away the old outdoor swing that looks bad (even though the kids love it).
The alternative would be to just sit on the market, make payments, be asked to reduce your price until you have fired multiple Realtors and conceed to actually do the above or reduce your price or both.